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La. Plan to Reclaim Land Would Divert the Mississippi
Keith Brunet's house in Isle de Jean Charles, La., is surrounded by dying trees and a yard that no longer supports a tomato garden because of saltwater intrusion.
(By Michael Williamson -- The Washington Post)
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Brunet looked around and grimaced.
"My kids will never see this place," he said. "It's going to be nothing but water."
Rickey Cheramie, 54, of Port Fourchon remembers hunting and fishing on 5,000 acres of wetlands that are now underwater. He has put his property up for sale because he wants to move north to live within existing levees.
"It's just too saddening to be here," he said. "I just keep looking for something that isn't there anymore."
Levees and Diversions
Rita and Katrina transformed a sad situation into an urgent one. Yet exactly what to do remains a matter of debate.
The most prominent argument over the plan concerns the extent and location of the new levees, which could extend protection for much of southern Louisiana.
Some communities, like Brunet's, are facing the prospect of being left out.
"It doesn't seem fair," he said. "Why not just build them down here?"
On the other side are environmentalists and scientists who say the vast earthen walls will damage any wetlands they cross. In the long run, the scientists argue, building the levees could be self-defeating.
"Healthy tidal wetlands are not in general compatible with levee construction, and without healthy wetlands the land loss will continue," said a letter from Environmental Defense, the National Audubon Society and the National Wildlife Federation.
The master plan's authors say they are seeking the right balance.
"We are not embarrassed to say we want to provide hurricane protection to as many communities as we can," said Jon Porthouse of the state's Department of Natural Resources. "But there is a lot of planning to be done before we say, 'The levees will go here.' "
